Opinion
Democratic race needs to end soon
Story by Mark Page | April 3, 2008
Montana Kaimin
Tennessee governor Phil Bredesen has come up with a seemingly silly but practical solution to the Democratic Party’s brawl over the presidential nomination. He said the Party should hold a superdelegate primary in June to settle the nomination before a long summer fight takes its toll on the party’s chances in November.
A viable solution needs to be found as each Democrat hurts rather than helps the other’s chances of winning in the general election.
While John McCain is making announcements about possible candidates for the bottom of his ticket, the Democrats roll on, even though it is nearly impossible for Hillary Clinton to gain the nomination.
The online magazine Slate.com even has a Clinton deathwatch. The latest rating puts her chances at the nomination at 9.5 percent.
After Barack Obama successfully weathered the storm of controversy surrounding his pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, with his big race speech in Philadelphia, her chances have tanked. Now prominent members of the Democratic Party are either calling for her withdrawal (Sen. Patrick Leahy), or siding with Obama on why superdelegates should not overturn the will of the voters (Nancy Pelosi).
New York Times columnist David Brooks all but called the election for Obama after these events, saying Clinton’s ship has sank. He put her chances of victory at five percent and said what the Democratic Party has to go through for this slim chance is by no means worth it.
Her finances are also in shambles. She has recently been failing to pay a large portion of her campaign’s bills, and now her debt stands at over $8 million. These bills are mostly to small companies, companies that aren’t in the position to wait until this fight is settled to get their money.
Washington news source Politico reported Monday that she has even failed to pay insurance premiums for her campaign’s employees, to the tune of $292,000. This is strange coming from the woman who characterizes herself as the foremost champion for universal health coverage. Though it must be noted that these employees will not have their insurance interrupted.
The most reasonable solution is something akin to Bredesen’s superdelegate primary. There is no reason for the campaign to continue beyond the end of voting in June. The only argument for this would come from the Clinton camp’s desire for more time to convince the superdelegates to support her even if she has lost the vote.
And while she is begging for more time in auditoriums and gymnasiums across the country, the party heavyweights are starting to see this point.
If the nomination battle continues through the summer, it will leave McCain time to gather the Republican Party behind him and to raise plenty of cash for the general election cycle.
Obama, meanwhile, has to waste millions of dollars running against a doomed opponent. And if Clinton were to become the nominee, she may be broke.
Polls have shown that a quarter of Obama’s supporters and a quarter of Clinton’s have said they will not vote for the opposite candidate in November, and this number is growing.
Many argue that voter registration numbers for the Democratic Party show an energized party, but there is evidence this may not really be the case.
Some of these new voters are simply Rush Limbaugh Democrats out to be spoilers, and others just want to have their say in the Democratic primary now that McCain has sown up the Republican nomination. There are reports of large numbers of Oregon Republicans switching party sides to do just this.
History is not a good measure either. One only has to look back to the 1980 Democratic primaries, where Ted Kennedy and Jimmy Carter damaged each other’s reputations so badly that Reagan won handedly in November. That nomination fight went all the way to the convention, too.
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Comments
Why are primaries scheduled in all these states if there was no expectation of actually holding an election?
As well, wasn’t the Democratic Convention initially devised for the purpose of naming a nominee?
Perhaps this is the first year in many that the process is actually being carried out the way it was envisioned.
Posted by JanetP on 04/03/2008 at 4:46 am
YOU MIGHT BE AN IDIOT:-)
If you think Barack Obama with little or no experience would be better than Hillary Clinton with 35 years experience.
You Might Be An Idiot!
If you think that Obama with no experience can fix an economy on the verge of collapse better than Hillary Clinton. Whose ;-) husband (Bill Clinton) led the greatest economic expansion, and prosperity in American history.
You Might Be An Idiot!
If you think that Obama with no experience fighting for universal health care can get it for you better than Hillary Clinton. Who anticipated this current health care crisis back in 1993, and fought a pitched battle against overwhelming odds to get universal health care for all the American people.
You Might Be An Idiot!
If you think that Obama with no experience can manage, and get us out of two wars better than Hillary Clinton. Whose ;-) husband (Bill Clinton) went to war only when he was convinced that he absolutely had to. Then completed the mission in record time against a nuclear power. AND DID NOT LOSE THE LIFE OF A SINGLE AMERICAN SOLDIER. NOT ONE!
You Might Be An Idiot!
If you think that Obama with no experience saving the environment is better than Hillary Clinton. Whose ;-) husband (Bill Clinton) left office with the greatest amount of environmental cleanup, and protections in American history.
You Might Be An Idiot!
If you think that Obama with little or no education experience is better than Hillary Clinton. Whose ;-) husband (Bill Clinton) made higher education affordable for every American. And created higher job demand and starting salary’s than they had ever been before or since.
You Might Be An Idiot!
If you think that Obama with no experience will be better than Hillary Clinton who spent 8 years at the right hand of President Bill Clinton. Who is already on record as one of the greatest Presidents in American history.
You Might Be An Idiot!
If you think that you can change the way Washington works with pretty speeches from Obama, rather than with the experience, and political expertise of two master politicians ON YOUR SIDE like Hillary and Bill Clinton..
You Might Be An Idiot!
If you think all those Republicans voting for Obama in the Democratic primaries, and caucuses are doing so because they think he is a stronger Democratic candidate than Hillary Clinton. :-)
Best regards
jacksmith…
Posted by jacksmith on 04/03/2008 at 4:49 am
DON’T BE DUPED !!!
Large numbers of Republicans have been voting for Barack Obama in the DEMOCRATIC primaries, and caucuses from early on. Because they feel he would be a weaker opponent against John McCain. And because they feel that a Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama ticket would be unbeatable. And also because with a Clinton and Obama ticket you are almost 100% certain to get quality, affordable universal health care very soon.
But first, all of you have to make certain that Hillary Clinton takes the democratic nomination and then the Whitehouse. NOW! is the time. THIS! is the moment you have all been working, and waiting for. You can do this America. “Carpe diem” (harvest the day).
I think Hillary Clinton see’s a beautiful world of plenty for all. She is a woman, and a mother. And it’s time America. Do this for your-selves, and your children’s future. You will have to work together on this and be aggressive, relentless, and creative. Americans face an even worse catastrophe ahead than the one you are living through now.
You see, the medical and insurance industry mostly support the republicans with the money they ripped off from you. And they don’t want you to have quality, affordable universal health care. They want to be able to continue to rip you off, and kill you and your children by continuing to deny you life saving medical care that you have already paid for. So they can continue to make more immoral profits for them-selves.
Hillary Clinton has actually won by much larger margins than the vote totals showed. And lost by much smaller vote margins than the vote totals showed. Her delegate count is actually much higher than it shows. And higher than Obama’s. She also leads in the electoral college numbers that you must win to become President in the November national election. HILLARY CLINTON IS ALREADY THE TRUE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE!
As much as 30% of Obama’s primary, and caucus votes are Republicans trying to choose the weakest democratic candidate for McCain to run against. These Republicans have been gaming the caucuses where it is easier to vote cheat. This is why Obama has not been able to win the BIG! states primaries. Even with Republican vote cheating help.
Hillary Clinton has been out manned, out gunned, and out spent 4 and 5 to 1. Yet Obama has only been able to manage a very tenuous, and questionable tie with Hillary Clinton.
If Obama is the democratic nominee for the national election in November he will be slaughtered. Because the Republican vote cheating help will suddenly evaporate. All of this vote fraud and republican manipulation has made Obama falsely look like a much stronger candidate than he really is. YOUNG PEOPLE. DON’T BE DUPED! Think about it. You have the most to lose.
The democratic party needs to fix this outrage. I suggest a Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama ticket. Everyone needs to throw all your support to Hillary Clinton NOW! So you can end this outrage against YOU the voter, and against democracy.
I think Barack Obama has a once in a life time chance to make the ultimate historic gesture for unity, and change in America by accepting Hillary Clinton’s offer as running mate. Such an act now would for ever seal Barack Obama’s place at the top of the list of Americas all time great leaders, and unifiers for all of history.
The democratic party, and the super-delegates have a decision to make. Are the democrats, and the democratic party going to choose the DEMOCRATIC party nominee to fight for the American people. Or are the republicans going to choose the DEMOCRATIC party nominee through vote fraud, and gaming the DEMOCRATIC party primaries, and caucuses.
Fortunately the Clinton’s have been able to hold on against this fraudulent outrage with those repeated dramatic comebacks of Hillary Clinton’s. Only the Clinton’s are that resourceful, and strong. Hillary Clinton is your NOMINEE. They are the best I have ever seen.
“This is not a game” (Hillary Clinton)
Sincerely
jacksmith…
Posted by jacksmith on 04/03/2008 at 4:51 am
What do we believe? Do we believe that women are less competent to rule than men? Look to who takes care of our children.
Do we believe that people of African-American descent are less ccompetent to rule than those not of African-American descent? Who among us has not held someone of another race in high regard.
Do we believe that corporate entities know more about economics than the average working person? Who among us has not suffered from this illusion.
Do we believe that our Creator does not love each of us the same? Then let us not pray for a better world, for our prayers will go unanswered.
Posted by Michael Senger on 04/03/2008 at 7:24 pm
Should Obama have dropped out of the race when he was an underdog? Was he tearing the party apart and hurting Democrats’ chances in the general election when he was behind?
Posted by aaron on 04/04/2008 at 2:01 pm
jacksmith: You might be an idiot if you have no brain. Must be tiresome to carry around such a big head without a brain inside it.
Obama must be some idiot to have beaten Hillary Clinton so badly. I guess this would make Hillary Clinton an even bigger idiot!
Posted by S. Willis on 04/10/2008 at 6:25 pm
